Projectors: Buying higher-end used or reconditioned models, considerations?

Chris Eberle

I will have a spot in the basement of my new home for a small home theater. My budget is limited for what I can spend on a projector and screen, however. Rather than buy an entry-level 1080p projector, I am considering buying a higher end model from the used or reconditioned market. Is the risk worth the reward? For example, I can buy a Sony VPLHW30ES for about $2K or a JVC DLAX3 for around $1,500. I have a Pioneer plasma, so I know that black levels are important. What do you think?

- S Knapp
Georgia

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Pioneer SC-79 9.1 A/V Receiver

Chris Heinonen

The SC-79 marks the fourth revision of the Pioneer SC-line that I have reviewed. From the beginning I've been impressed with the amount of features they fit inside and the performance they offer. The SC-79 announcement is as excited for a new receiver as I have been. Far from a marginal upgrade, Pioneer went all-out and packed in new features galore. The biggest is a pair of ESS SABRE32 9016 DACs. A single-step below the 9018 used in top-flight two channel audio products, the 9016 is the highest end DAC in a receiver today.

Receivers

Onkyo NR929 9.2 A/V Receiver

Gabe Lowe

While the TX-NR5010 remains the company's flagship model, the TX-NR929 is Onkyo's most fully-featured receiver released in 2013, carrying the THX Select2 Plus variety. Having both owned and reviewed Onkyo receivers, I was greatly looking forward to putting this model through the paces.

Receivers

Sony STR-DN1040 7.1 A/V Receiver

Chris Heinonen

When I turn on the Sony STR-DN1040 and am greeted by a colorful, interactive full screen graphical interface, I am surprised. It is even in high definition! Someone has actually been listening to complaints from users and decided to do something about it. They are trying to make the home theater less complex than the PC of the 1980's. Is the Sony STR-DN1040 just a pretty face or does it have the brains and brawn to go along with its beauty?

Receivers

Control4 Dimmers UPDATE

Chris Heinonen

When I finished my initial review of Control4 I had it controlling my AV system but nothing else. As complete home integration is one of the reasons to use Control4 I needed to test something out. Control4 was nice enough to send over a few light dimmers to install so that I can see how they integrate.

Video Accessories Misc

Arcam rPac Headphone DAC/Amp and rBlink Bluetooth DAC

Brian Alvarez

Everywhere you look established specialist audio companies are getting into the headphone and lifestyle market. These products are smaller, more affordable, and easier to use than traditional hi-fi. They appeal to a new generation of music lovers looking for products that fit their more mobile and computer centric lifestyles. I'm the ideal case study. I spend hours throughout my day listening to music on headphones at my desk. Streaming RDIO, watching videos on YouTube, editing videos, etc. While the built in headphone output on my Mac book Air is good. I've been using external USB Dacs for some time to drive bigger less sensitive headphones. Arcam sent us two of their R series boxes to check out, the rPac USB headphone DAC/amp and the rBlink Bluetooth DAC.

DACs
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Earthquake Sound Rough-In-Kits

Secrets

Simple and Fast Home Installation Earthquake Sound's RK-EC6 and RK-EC8 offer extreme versatility for the installation of Edgeless Ceiling Speakers. Each rough-...

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